The Summoning Sea
by Sunshine Sickness
Summary: A little Dota 2 backstory/poem for ye guys.


Beyond the reach of Southward's End,

Where summer's warmth dares not to roam

Songs tell of ancient treasures lost

Worth more than titles, lands and home

At night skies streak in ribbon's glow

Chill ocean's maze of jagged frost

Wild winds betray the best of men

Where boldest captains fear to cross

Within 'tis said's a hidden coast

Unknown to neither map or man

Where once there died a seaborn fiend

Washed up along its sandy span

Inside this corpse, the legends claim

A gem lay hid away from sight

And who dares hold this stone unique

Shall see all hidden forms of fright

From whence the single frigate sailed

No soul still lives to dare recall

Brave voyage launched into the cold

Afraid of neither gale nor squall

To southern ice and wind they forged

The dauntless crew did plot their trek

In times the fields of floe and berg

Gave glimpse of land to all on deck

Upon an arctic shore they spied

Frost touched remains of monster vast

Old marks from briny wars they saw

And ice locked teeth to dwarf their mast

On darkened beach was set a host

To excavate this mortal coil

Their picks and tools they lifted high

Then dug into their grisly toil

For days and days they hacked and crawled

As stained was beach in ancient gore

Through rib and tissue, deep they delved

And wrought their path to monster's core

From humid depths came glowing dim

Strange spectral light of emerald hue

Great gem matched size with finder's fist

Worn crew rejoiced; old songs proved true

Returned to deck with treasure held

As one all crew did choke their breath

For ringed they were by wraiths of yore

Ghost ships long sunk, and those past death

For hidden from the common eye

Are ones who drift when lifeblood fails

Bright gem grants truth to sight they learned

Then set with fright to raising sails

Yet ghastly shades no harm intend

But warning men whose air's still drawn

To bring sight's stone on waters wide

Would raise the wrath of deep Maelrawn

A day and twelve on ocean waves

Passed laden, anxious crew's retreat

When came long shadows in their wake

Lord Maelrawn's servant, come to eat

By haste and lucky breeze they sped

Four dawns the scourge kept far at bay

Until a wisp of earth drew far

When fickle fortune's winds betrayed

As beast drew under ship to strike

Rowboats were filled with man and loot

Then loosed were heavy chain and weight

To crashed ship's anchor on sea's brute

Then deck leaned port as seabeast scaled

Wild tendril fury came aboard

In frenzied panic three boats fled

With ship entangled, kraken roared

Through tree thick feelers twist and squeeze

Wood hull made vent to frozen surge

As half-ship sank, death's master called

The gem still moved, and neared shore's verge

In rushed pursuit the kraken swam

To overtake the first boat of three

When drowned men froze and wreckage sank

Did hunter learn its charge stayed free

As second crew in horror rowed

Slick grasping fingers closed around

Yet once again gem was not there

And third boat's band set foot aground

So terrified of Maelrawn's rage

Did thrashing scourge set out anew

Then breached itself upon the surf

As kraken flailed, its foe withdrew

Of fated crew's last port and call

No grey account still deigns to say

Some firm believe they made toward home

Though others tell of hangman's sway

Of gem and tidal deepgod's hunt

Vain quest goes on without reward

Its servants blindly come to shore

To kill and raze, be put to sword

For no thrall creature of the depths

Nor spirit bound in drowning's keep

Nor Maelrawn the Tentacular

Shall rest till seas, gem comes to sleepThe Summoning Sea

Beyond the reach of Southward's End,

Where summer's warmth dares not to roam

Songs tell of ancient treasures lost

Worth more than titles, lands and home

At night skies streak in ribbon's glow

Chill ocean's maze of jagged frost

Wild winds betray the best of men

Where boldest captains fear to cross

Within 'tis said's a hidden coast

Unknown to neither map or man

Where once there died a seaborn fiend

Washed up along its sandy span

Inside this corpse, the legends claim

A gem lay hid away from sight

And who dares hold this stone unique

Shall see all hidden forms of fright

From whence the single frigate sailed

No soul still lives to dare recall

Brave voyage launched into the cold

Afraid of neither gale nor squall

To southern ice and wind they forged

The dauntless crew did plot their trek

In times the fields of floe and berg

Gave glimpse of land to all on deck

Upon an arctic shore they spied

Frost touched remains of monster vast

Old marks from briny wars they saw

And ice locked teeth to dwarf their mast

On darkened beach was set a host

To excavate this mortal coil

Their picks and tools they lifted high

Then dug into their grisly toil

For days and days they hacked and crawled

As stained was beach in ancient gore

Through rib and tissue, deep they delved

And wrought their path to monster's core

From humid depths came glowing dim

Strange spectral light of emerald hue

Great gem matched size with finder's fist

Worn crew rejoiced; old songs proved true

Returned to deck with treasure held

As one all crew did choke their breath

For ringed they were by wraiths of yore

Ghost ships long sunk, and those past death

For hidden from the common eye

Are ones who drift when lifeblood fails

Bright gem grants truth to sight they learned

Then set with fright to raising sails

Yet ghastly shades no harm intend

But warning men whose air's still drawn

To bring sight's stone on waters wide

Would raise the wrath of deep Maelrawn

A day and twelve on ocean waves

Passed laden, anxious crew's retreat

When came long shadows in their wake

Lord Maelrawn's servant, come to eat

By haste and lucky breeze they sped

Four dawns the scourge kept far at bay

Until a wisp of earth drew far

When fickle fortune's winds betrayed

As beast drew under ship to strike

Rowboats were filled with man and loot

Then loosed were heavy chain and weight

To crashed ship's anchor on sea's brute

Then deck leaned port as seabeast scaled

Wild tendril fury came aboard

In frenzied panic three boats fled

With ship entangled, kraken roared

Through tree thick feelers twist and squeeze

Wood hull made vent to frozen surge

As half-ship sank, death's master called

The gem still moved, and neared shore's verge

In rushed pursuit the kraken swam

To overtake the first boat of three

When drowned men froze and wreckage sank

Did hunter learn its charge stayed free

As second crew in horror rowed

Slick grasping fingers closed around

Yet once again gem was not there

And third boat's band set foot aground

So terrified of Maelrawn's rage

Did thrashing scourge set out anew

Then breached itself upon the surf

As kraken flailed, its foe withdrew

Of fated crew's last port and call

No grey account still deigns to say

Some firm believe they made toward home

Though others tell of hangman's sway

Of gem and tidal deepgod's hunt

Vain quest goes on without reward

Its servants blindly come to shore

To kill and raze, be put to sword

For no thrall creature of the depths

Nor spirit bound in drowning's keep

Nor Maelrawn the Tentacular

Shall rest till seas, gem comes to sleep.


End file.
